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DMT

DMT crystals

DMT stands for N,N-Dimethyltryptamine also known as the “spirit molecule”. It is able to cross the human blood brain barrier, which is why it is such a powerful hallucinogenic drug that greatly affects consciousness. DMT is found throughout the plant kingdom, in trace amounts in animals AND is produced in humans (it is stored in the brain and released when we are dreaming or when we have near-death experiences…this is the reason why people claim to have “seen the light” or have out-of-body experiences when they feel they are about to die). DMT is structurally analogous to the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) and the hormone melatonin, as well as analogous to other psychedelic tryptamines, such as 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenin, psilocin, and psilocybin.

HISTORY

DMT was first synthesized in 1931 by Canadian chemist Richard Helmuth Fredrick Manske (1901–1977). Its discovery as a natural product is credited to Brazilian chemist Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima (1908–1989) who, in 1946, isolated an alkaloid he named nigerina(nigerine) from the root bark of jurema preta. However, it was later found to match an “impure” form of DMT so it was only in 1959, when he provided American chemists a sample of Mimosa tenuiflora roots, that DMT was purely identified in this plant material.

Another historical milestone is the discovery of DMT in plants frequently used by Amazonian natives as additive to the vine Banisteriopsis caapi to make ayahuasca decoctions.

In 1965, French pharmacologist Jacques Poisson isolated DMT as a sole alkaloid from leaves, provided and used by Aguaruna Indians, identified as having come from the vine Diplopterys cabrerana.

Published in 1970, the first identification of DMT in the plant Psychtria viridis, another common additive of ayahuasca, was made by a team of American researchers led by pharmacologist Ara der Marderosian. Not only did they detect DMT in leaves of P. viridis obtained from Cashinahua Indians, but they also were the first to identify it in a sample of an ayahuasca decoction, prepared by the same Indians.

Biosynthesis: Physical and Chemical Properties

DMT is commonly handled and stored as a fumarate. In general as other DMT acid salts are very hygroscopic and will not readily crystallize. Its freebase form, although less stable than DMT fumarate, is favored by recreational users choosing to vaporize the chemical because it has a lower boiling point.In contrast to DMT’s base, its salts are water-soluble. DMT in solution degrades relatively quickly and should be stored protected from air, light, and heat in a freezer

As a Psychedelic

DMT is produced naturally in many species of plants often in conjunction with its close chemical relatives 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin (5-OH-DMT).DMT-containing plants are commonly used in South American Shamanic practices. It is usually one of the main active constituents of the drink ayahuasca

DMT can produce powerful psychedelic experiences including intense visuals, euphoria and hallucinations. DMT is generally not active orally unless it is combined with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as a RIMA (reversible inhibitor of monamine oxidase A) like harmaline. Without an MAOI, the body quickly metabolizes orally administered DMT, and it therefore has no hallucinogenic effect unless the dose exceeds monoamine oxidase’s metabolic capacity. Other means of ingestion such as vaporizing, injecting, or insufflating the drug can produce powerful hallucinations for a short time (usually less than half an hour), as the DMT reaches the brain before it can be metabolized by the body’s natural monoamine oxidase. Taking a MAOI prior to vaporizing or injecting DMT prolongs and potentiates the effects.

Routes of Administration

Inhalation: A standard dose for vaporized DMT is between 15–60 mg. In general, this is inhaled in a few successive breaths. The effects last for a short period of time, usually 5 to 15 minutes, dependent on the dose. The onset after inhalation is very fast (less than 45 seconds) and peak effects are reached within a minute. In the 1960s, DMT was known as a “businessman’s lunch” in the US because of the relatively short duration (and rapid onset) of action when inhaled

Injection: injected DMT produces an experience that is similar to inhalation in duration, intensity, and characteristics.

Oral ingestion: taken orally with RIMA, DMT produces a long lasting (over 3 hour), slow, deep metaphysical experience similar to that of psilocybin mushrooms, but more intense.RIMAs should be used with caution as they can have lethal complications with some prescription drugs such as SSRI antidepressants, and some over-the-counter drugs.

*Induced DMT experiences can include profound time-dilation, visual and auditory illusions, and other experiences that defy verbal or visual description. Some users report intense erotic imagery and sensations and utilize the drug in a ritual sexual context*Effects

Legal Status

International status: DMT is classified as a Schedule I drug under the UN 1971, meaning that use of DMT is supposed to be restricted to scientific research and medical use and international trade in DMT is supposed to be closely monitored

Canada: considered a Schedule II under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

France: classified as a narcotic

New Zealand: classified as Class A under Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.

Britain: classified as Class A

United States: classified as Schedule I under Controlled Substances act of 1970.